Removing woody matter from the stem fibers of textile plants



Sept. 26, 1944. L. AN'roNELLl y 2,359,074 REMOVING WOODY MATTER FROM THESTEM FIBERS 0F TEXTILE PLANTS Filed oct. s, .1940

Patented Sept. 26, 1944 REMOVING WOODY MATTER FROM THE STEM FIBERS FTEXTILE PLANTS Leonida Antonelli, Padova, Italy; vested in the AlienProperty Custodian Application October 5, 1940, Serial No. 359,969 InItaly October 6, 1939 1 Claim.

The present invention relates to a process and apparatus for removingthe woody matter from the stems of textile plants such as ramie, hempand the like.

An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which may operateupon the stem either in dry or green condition.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus wherein thebundle of stems operated upon is fed .between rotating vblades in onedirection and then withdrawn in the other direction while the bladescontinue rotating in the original direction.

With the above and other objects in View which will become apparent fromthe detailed description below, the invention is shown in the drawing inwhich the gure shows a diagrammatic side view of the apparatus.

In the drawing two rollers a and a' are provided With radial bladespositioned on their periphery. Means are provided, though not shown, forrotating these rollers continuously in the direction shown by thearrows. The radial blades inter-mesh in the manner illustrated. l

The rollers are supported in such manner that the upper roller a' maymove forward and away from the lower roller in order to permit a greateror lesser engagement between the blades.

The number of the blades and the speed of their rotation as well as theextent to which they intermesh are adapted to the quality and the stateof the textile plants which are to be treated. These Aelements thereforeare variable factors.

The bundle b which is to be freed from woody matter is xeol by means ofa clip c to an arm d. The arm d is pivotally connected at e to a Ibar gand the bundle is guided upon the element f mounted on the support 1c.The arm g is swung forwardly or backwardly by the crank h which has oneend eccentrically mounted upon a disc and the other end pivotallyconnected to the bar c.

The disc is continuously rotated by means not shown. Also, the disc ifdesired may be rotated manually.

Upon each revolution of the disc, a complete oscillation of the arm dtakes place and this permits the bundle b tolse moved through the bladedrollers. The movement of the bundle b is at less speed than the speed ofthe blades on the rollers and therefore the bundle is dragged forwardlyby the blades which will break the woody matter. Then on the returnmovement of the bundle, the broken woody portions are separated from thetextile stems.

The above described cycle of treatment may be repeated as long asdesired until the bundle is entirely free from wood?,r matter. As apractical matter a complete separation generally takes place on thefirst cycle.

If desired, the apparatus may be installed upon any desired carriage andmoved to the field at which the plants are cut.

A main feature of the invention is a provision of a unitary mechanicaldevice both for introducing the bundle of plants in one direction andthen withdrawing such plants in the other direction While the rotatingportions of the machine always move in the same direction. It is thisfeature which permits the elimination of the woody matter.

It is .obvious that the construction shown is merely exemplary and thatvarious modifications may be made for carrying out the process.

What I claim is:

An apparatus for removing Woody matter from the stems of the textileplants comprising a pair of relative adjustable intermeshing bladedrollers mounted one above the other and having a constant peripheralspeed, a horizontal support at one side of the rollers, a holder for abunch of stems, means on said support for guiding said holder and meansfor reciprocating said holder toward and away from said rollerscomprising a crank mounted on the opposite side of said rollers, a crankpin, a pivotal mounted bar movable by said pin and a link between saidbar and holder.

4 LEONIDA ANTONELLI.

